The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to reducing resonance that would otherwise be introduced via the coupling of connector elements to circuit board pads in information handling systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems typically include circuit boards with connector pads that are utilized to mount connectors to the circuit board, and those connectors are then used to connect subsystems utilized with the information handling system via the circuit board. Furthermore, as data transmission speeds in information handling systems increase, connectors such as Surface Mount Technology (SMT) connectors tend to be the connectors of choice for relatively high speed signal applications due to their signal integrity benefits resulting from, for example, their enablement of back-drilling, shielding of ground vias, choice of desired signals, and ground via assignments. However, other relatively high speed signal applications may utilize cables directly soldered to the connector pads on the circuit board in order, for example, to avoid paddle board and/or other connection impairments. Conventionally, the orientation of the connectors and cables when mounted to the connector pads has been unimportant.
However, the inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that subtle parasitic effects can be introduced at relatively high data transmission speeds in response to particular connector and cable mounting orientations. For example, depending on how the signal transmission line connects to the connector pad, the orientation of the connector or cable in connecting to the connector pad can result in the connector pad and/or a portion of the lead frame/cable providing a signal transmission path that is “dangling”, “unused”, or otherwise “open”, and that may act as a resonator (e.g., at quarter wavelengths) that can compromise the signal integrity of the communication channel.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a circuit board pad resonance control system.